My Two Cents
All right, folks... you are now looking at the new and upgraded Digital Bits website! The cosmetic changes are minimal, but they include more uniform and easy to read font weights across all browsers and devices. Previously, some of you who viewed the site on Apple devices would have difficulty reading certain pages (including reviews) because the text was too light or faint. That should now be corrected. What’s more, the site should be much faster to load, which is no small upgrade. We’re also working on some additional search functionality improvements that will our make older content/reviews easier to find.
And you may notice the “25 Years” icon next to The Bits logo. 2022 is indeed The Digital Bits’ 25th anniversary. The site launched in late 1997 after many months as an email newsletter within the home video industry. We’ve obviously grown over the years to cover new formats and topics, and we’ve had a great bunch of writers and staffers contribute to The Bits during that time—we value each and every one of them. And let it not go unsaid: We also value each and every one of you, our readers! Some of you may be new to the website, while others have been reading since the very beginning. Just know that we’re glad to count you all as part of The Digital Bits family, and we appreciate each of you. Thanks for sticking with us!
We’ve got a lot of catching up to do today, now that this first batch of site upgrades is complete, including reporting on lots of new release news and rumors. But first, we have more new disc reviews to share with you—reviews that have been posted here at The Bits in the last few days while I’ve been focused on the site upgrades. So let’s run down those now, and I’ll check back in an hour or two with that news update.
First up, Tim and I have taken an in-depth look at Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. [Read on here...]
We’ll be back on Tuesday (after the long Memorial Day weekend holiday here in the States) with our usual news and reviews updates, but we’ve got a bit of breaking news that is too important to sit on until then.
Retail sources in Europe have begun dropping pre-order listings for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and the Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Edition in 4K Ultra HD. The Director’s Edition we already knew was coming in September as announced by Paramount when it debuted on Paramount+.
The European listings suggest that each title will arrive at retail individually, V on 9/12 (which would be 9/13 here in the States), VI on 9/19 (9/20 in the States), and finally The Director’s Edition on 9/26 (9/27 here). Those dates seem entirely consistent with what we would expect here on this side of the Atlantic. [Read on here...]
We’ve got some ground to cover this afternoon to start the week off right, including some major release news. First though, as always, some new disc reviews…
Stephen has given Ena Sendijarevic’s Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019) a look on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
And Dennis has turned in his thoughts on George Seaton’s The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.
Now then, the big news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore for release on 6/28 (SRP $39.98, $34.98, and $49.98 respectively), with the Digital release and HBO Max streaming debut expected on 5/30. [Read on here...]
Before we kick off the day’s release news here at the site today, be sure to check out Stephen’s latest Blu-ray review, which features the Miklos Jancso Collection on from Kino Classics. It includes 7 films made by Jancso from 1966 to 1974.
Now then, Paramount has officially set Tarik Saleh’s The Contractor for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 6/7. The Digital version is widely available now. The film stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster. AV specs on the 4K are TBA.
Universal has made Michael Bay’s Ambulance official for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 6/14, with the Digital release expected next week on 5/23. Both the Blu-ray and 4K will feature Dolby Atmos audio. The latter will include Dolby Vision HDR as well. And look for extras to include 6 behind-the-scenes featurettes (Bayhem, Aerial Assault, Chase Capitol of the World, Pedal to the Metal, Finding Ambulance, and A Tribute to First Responders). [Read on here...]
We’ve got a quick update for you this morning with word from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment that the long-delayed Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary has finally been rescheduled for 7/12, as we first reported a couple of days ago.
The title had originally been set to street on 2/8, but was pulled at the last minute due to an unspecified problem with the audio mix (after review discs had already been dispatched to members of the press, and after some discs had briefly made it to retail shelves as well).
The error required the discs to be corrected, but the packed replication schedule these days—not to mention the sheer number of discs that needed to be produced—meant a long delay. [Read on here...]